The invention involves a radially expandable support structure for keeping open lumina within a body, in particular a blood vessel.
EP 0 335 341 B1 involves, among other things, an expandable intraluminar vascular structure or prosthesis having at least one thin walled tube-shaped part with first and second ends and a wall surface arranged between the first and second ends, which has essentially the same thickness and several slits, which are directed essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube-shaped part. The tube-shaped part can have a first diameter, which makes the intraluminary transport of the tube-shaped part into a body passage that has a lumen possible, and the tube-shaped part can have a second, expanded and deformed diameter, whereby a force directed radially outwardly can be applied from the inside of the tube-shaped part, and the second diameter is variable and depends on the amount of the force acting on the tube-shaped part, whereby the tube-shaped part is expanded and deformed in order to expand the lumen of the bodily passage. The vascular structure or the vascular prosthesis has several tube-shaped parts and at least one connection piece, which is arranged between tube-shaped parts that border each other, in order to connect tube-shaped parts, which are bordering each other, together with each other in a flexible manner.
A disadvantage in this intraluminary vascular structure is the relatively high radial rigidity of the individual parts, which noticeably impairs the flexibility necessary in a lumen for preventing internal injuries.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,458, an intraluminary support structure is disclosed, which is made up of a spiral-shaped spring. Disadvantageous in this is the relatively high radial instability, which can lead to positions of undesired buckling.